Roofing implement.



lodgment through the ribs,

WILLIAM B. GRISGHY, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ROOFING IMPLEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. April 29, 1912. Serial No. 693,951.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. GRIsoHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roofing Implements, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a roofing implement adapted for use in connection with socalled rib roofing, rib roofing being sheetmetal roofing which has a rib or ribs lengthwise of the joint between adjacent sheets of the roofing for forming a lap between the edges of adjacent sheets.

It has been a usual practice heretofore, when securing the sheets of such roofing in place, to insert a wood strip under the ribs through which the nailing takes place, the wood strip conforming in cross-section to the shape of the hollow under the ribs, and to drive the nail through the superposed ribs and the wood strip in securing the sheets in place, the wood strip being inserted for the purpose of preventing crushing of the ribs when nailing the sheets to the roof.

It is the object of my invention to provide an implement by the use of which the employment of under-supporting strips may be avoided and the sheet-metal nailed in such manner that the nails will find ready and crushing and bruising of the ribs prevented in the nailing operation.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the roofing implement in position of use. Fig.2 is a cross-section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the nail guided in the nail-guiding groove. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same on the line 1% of Fig. 1, showing the nail driven in place; and, Fig. 5 is a crosssection on a line similar to the line 33, but showing my invention applied in connection with a different form of ribs.

In practice the ribs extend longitudinally of the edges of the sheet-metal sheets, and lengthwise of the incline of the roof. Adjacent sheets of metal are shown at 11, 12.

The adjacent edges of the sheets are provided with ribs 13, 14. These ribs are shown pyramidal in cross-section in Figs. 1, 3 and i, and rounded in cross-section in Fig. .5, corresponding parts in the latter figure being designated by similar but primed reference numerals. Two parallel pairs of superposed ribs are shown at the adjacent edges of the overlapping sheets, although one of these pairs only may be employed if desired.

It is the practice to secure the sheets in place upon the sheathing 15 of the roof by driving nails through the superposed ribs and in order to enable this to be done without crushing the ribs and to dispense with under-support for the same, I have provided my novel roofing implement which I shall now describe.

16 is a block which has a plurality of portions of different thicknesses, shown respectively at l7, l8.

19 is a channel in the bottom of the block extending crosswise of said portions of different heights, the channel having lateral walls conforming to the shape of the outer face of the ribs of the sheet-metal roofing and received against said outer faces for preventing lateral displacement thereof when the nail, shown at 20, is driven through the superposed ribs. Thus the channel is provided with upwardly converging side walls 21 which impinge against the side walls of the upper rib of the sheet-metal roofing and prevent displacement or a crowding outwardly of the metal of the su perposed ribs.

The side walls of the channel are'rigidly connected above their tops for a portion of their lengths by the integral web 22 of the block. The thicker portion of the block is provided with a downwardly extending groove 23 provided with nail-guiding walls 2 1, the groove opening into the rib-receiving channe The shank of the nail 20 is arranged to be received in this groove and to be guided by its walls to a point above the apex of the rib of the sheet-metal roofing, so that when the nail is struck it will be guided to pierce the apex of the rib while the rib-receiving chan- Patented July 16,1912.

nel, whose walls impinge the rib, prevents displacement or crushing of the ribs.

The portion 18 of the block is provided witha striker-face 25. A slot 26 is formed in the top of said channel and 'opens into said striker-face. This slot is continuous with the groove 28. The striker-face is arranged to receive the force of the blow of the hammer when the nail is driven home into the sheathing of the roof for fastening the sheet-metal roofing in place, in which relation, the head of the nail is preferably supported by the lateral walls of the slot 26 for limiting the driving in of the nail. This striker-face is preferably of a height so that its plane when extended will intersect the upper portion of the channel. When the nail has been driven partly into place, having been guided by the guiding walls of the groove 23, the block is moved lengthwise of the rib for bringing the striker-portion 25 of the block at the nailposition, so that the nail may be driven in place, the striker-portion however preventing the nail being driven too far and limiting the driving in of the nail to the proper distance, so that the rib will not be crushed. The block is then withdrawn from the nailposition, which is readily accomplished by a slight tap of the hammer upon the block lengthwise of the rib, which may be aided by a bevel 29 at the outer end of said strikerface. The lateral upwardly converging walls of the channel further hold the side walls of the ribs in place and prevent buckling thereof, or a recession of the free edge of the upper one of the superposed ribs from the rib thereunder and thereby insures a water-tight joint.

The roofing implement may be provided with. a plurality of the channels, grooves and slots. A soft metal washer 28 may be received about the shank of the nail under its head.

By means of my improved device a firm guide is provided for the nail for driving the nail true, buckling or crushing of the sheetmetal is prevented, and an opening up or spreading of the seam at the ribis avoided.

In order to insure a firm pressure of the roofing implement upon the sheet-metal and the ribs thereof, the block is preferably provided with a laterally extending cheek 27 upon which pressure is exerted, as by the hand or foot, during the nailing operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A roofing implement of the chracter described. having portions of dilferent thicknesses and having a rib-receiving channel extending across the bottoms of said portions, said rib-receiving channel having upwardly converging rib-contacting sidewalls,

one of said portions provided with a clownwardly extending groove having nail-guiding walls and opening into said channel, and another of said portions being thinner than said last-named portion and provided with a striker-face in which there is a slot opening into said channel, substantially as described.

'2. A roofing implement of the character described having portions of difierent thicknesses and having a rib-receiving channel extending across the bottoms of said portions, said rib-receiving channel having upwardly converging rib-contacting side walls rigidly connected above the same for a portion of their lengths, one of said first-named portions provided with a downwardly extending groove having nail-guiding walls and merging into said channel, and another of said port-ionsbeing thiner than said lastnamed portion and provided with a strikerface in which there is a slot in said channel.

7 3. A roofing implement of the character describedhaving portions of difierent thicknesses and having a rib-receiving channel extending across the bottoms of said portions, said rib-receiving channel having upwardly converging rib-contacting side walls rigidly connected above the same for a portion of their lengths, one of said portions provided with a downwardly extending groove having nail-guiding walls and merging into said channel, and another portions being thinner than said last-named portion and provided with a striker-face in which there is a slot in said channel, said implement provided with a laterally extending hold-down cheek.

A. A roofing implement of the character described having portions of different thicknesses and having a plurality of parallel rib-receiving channels extending across the bottoms of said portions, each of said ribreceiving channels having upwardly converging ribcontacting side walls, all of said side walls rigidly connected above the same for a portion of their respective lengths, one of said first-named portions provided with a downwardly extending groove above each of said channels, said downwardly extending grooves having nail-guiding walls merging into said respective channels, and another of said portions being thinner than said last-named portion and provided with a striker-face in which there is a slot openin into each of said channels.

3 A roofing implement of'the character of said 7 described comprising a block having a ribreceiving channel the walls of which cone verge upwardly for impinging the sides of the rib of the roofing, said block having a portion which is higher than the said channel, the said portion being provided with a groove forming an upward continuation of said channel and having nail-guiding signed my name in the presence of two sub- Walls, and said block having a portion which scribing Witnesses. is substantially the height 01": said rib of said roofing and provided With a slot opening WILLIAM GRISOHY' 5 into said channel, substantially as and for Witnesses:

the purpose described. GEORGE S. HAWKE, In testimony whereof, I have hereunto THERESA SILBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

